Call for probe into death of Pakistan journalist in Sweden

Islamabad: Outraged over the death of a colleague under mysterious circumstances in Sweden, Pakistani journalists and rights activists have called upon the government to take up the matter with the Swedish authorities through its embassy in Stockholm and demand a thorough probe into the unfortunate incident.

Sajid Hussain, a Baloch journalist hailing from Quetta, had gone to Sweden some eight years ago when he received death threats for filing stories on enforced disappearances in the province.

Since then he had been living in self-imposed exile in Sweden. There he was also running an online magazine, Balochistan Times, of which he was chief editor.

The editorial board of Balochistan Times publicly shared the news on Saturday. Sajid Hussain Baloch, according to the information, had gone missing from the Swedish town of Uppsala exactly two months ago on March 2. Since then police could not make any headway regarding his whereabouts.

However, last week, though they recovered a decomposed body of Sajid Hussain from the Fyris river outside Uppsala, yet they made public the information on Saturday, saying they had already started investigation into the case and would share all necessary information with his family members and colleagues.

According to reports, Taj Baloch, a friend of Hussain’s in Sweden, had met him a day before his disappearance.

The next day, his phone went off, and then he went missing. The last time someone had heard from him was when he was in a hostel office, getting the key to his room saying he would call back.

His family has expressed profound concern as to how a journalist could go missing and then get murdered in a country like Sweden that has always advocated press freedom and has been considered a safe haven for dissenting voices all across the world.

Human rights abuses in Pakistan

Pakistan’s human rights activist Gulalai Ismail in a tweet condemned the incident, saying she was shocked to receive the news. He was highlighting human rights abuses in Pakistan by security agencies in Balochistan.

“Pakistan embassy in Sweden should be investigated for their involvement in abduction and murder of Baloch exiled activist Sajid Hussain,” she further said in her tweet.

Secretary General of Awami National Party (ANP) Mian Iftikhar Hussain also paid rich tributes to Sajid Hussain, calling upon the Swedish authorities to investigate into this heart-wrenching incident. “Our heartfelt condolences” he said “go to family and friends of Sajid.”

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has also condemned the brutal murder of Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain in Sweden and demanded immediate inquiry into the murder.

In a joint statement PFUJ President Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary General Nasir Zaidi have urged the Swedish government to immediately probe the murder. “It is a failure on the government’s part, that they did not protect Sajid, who’s life was already under threat. It is downright brutal to have happened in a country where free speech and expression is hallmark of the government,” they said.

A statement by the Pakistan government and the Foreign Office is yet to come in this regard.